Full Name: Charles Babbage

Lived Between: 1791-1871

Nationality: British

Primary Occupation: Mathematician

Claim to Fame: Often referred to as the father of computing, Charles Babbage was the inventor of the Difference Engine, an automatic calculating device which could be considered the ancestor of modern computers.

Recommended Book: The Difference Engine: Charles Babbage and the Quest to Build the First Computer -- Doron Swade, Charles Babbage; Hardcover

Recommended Link: http://www.cbi.umn.edu/exhibits/cb.html